Cold reception
by Mariper
Summary: Excavating on Eden Prime, it shouldn't give any troubles. Suddenly something big turns up and everything goes haywire. Coming in contact with our favourite commander surely changed the life of Dr Acol. Rated T for language.


**A/N**

Hello guys, I thank you for reading this Story.

This story will be following the events and big action throughout the mass effect universe from a civilian perspective. It will focus on a OC (archaeologist) and how the news of the actions of Sheppard/Council/Alliance is received at home.

**Oh, and of course: I don't own Mass Effect, that's done at Bioware. **

* * *

Location: Eden Prime; dig site

"What do you make of it?" I ask one of my fellow archaeologists.

While walking cautiously around the strange structure and looking at the markings my colleague Dr Edwards replied: "It sure must be Prothean, I have not seen anything like that before." Looking the structure I can't help to agree with my colleague's opinion. The architecture doesn't match with anything of the known species. It bears some resemblance to the world of Feros where they found a huge metropolis left by the Protheans.

Standing next to Dr Edwards I can't help to wonder. _We sure weren't expecting something like this. A piece of technology? Who would have thought that_? "The Alliance will be here soon to pick it up and transport it to the Citadel for study." I said to my colleague. _But why should it go to the Citadel, we are more than able to study it by ourselves. _"I just don't get it. Finally we find something big and it has to be ferried off world to the Citadel because of politics." My colleague looked at me thoughtfully, wondering in what to say. "It's a shame to lose it, but it's better than having a war about it". _Now you just sound like a politician_.

"Ma'am," a soldier spoke, interrupting me and my colleague. "Alliance HQ just send word they will be picking up the beacon in 2 hours. We need to get it moved to the spaceport". _Wonderful, they just take it from my hands like it's nothing._ "Thank you soldier, I'll make the preparations to move it to the spaceport."

After instructing the work crews on how they need to transport the Prothean structure and signing off on some of the paperwork. "Dr Edwards! I'm going to take a break, can you make sure this artefact get's to the spaceport in one piece?" Dr Edwards looked at my grinning widely "Sure Dr, I'll call you when the Alliance is here to pick it up. After that I walked over to my house. _Maybe I can relax a bit before I need to deal with those rigid idiots of the alliance again._

* * *

"Nancy, the doc sure didn't look to happy about all of this." One of the soldiers said to her friend while watching the Dr Acol walk away. "Well, can't blame her. You find something big, and it gets snatched away from you by those council bastards." Her friend replied before continuing her work.

Just when the Prothean Structure was moved by workers over to the spaceport Nancy looked up to the sky and noticed something strange. _What's this?_ She thought._ The sky is red, but it ain't dusk yet. What the hell is that thing!_ More people started noticing that something was wrong. Something that looked like a huge squid was coming down to spaceport. _This ain't right_. She was starting to move but she felt a agonizing pain spreading from her breast. Looking dawn she saw blood running down from a bullet hole in the breast. _Fuck. This hurts_! It was the last coherent thought before passing out and collapsing on the ground.

_Shit. Nancy's down!_ She thought before running over to where her friend collapsed on the ground. Checking her pulse she was shaking her head. "NO!" she screamed on the top of her lungs. _I'll kill those bastards who did this to her_.

The battle around the dig site raged on for a few more minutes. Soon al that's left is a heavy silence penetrating the air. Only those creatures where moving, they were moving around the bodies of the fallen towards strange looking spikes. When they put on the bodies a spike shot out trough the body and the body was starting to transform to a eerie gray colour with blue lines running trough it, while cybernetic implants spawned across the body. The soldiers were no more, only their husk remained.

* * *

_Dr Acol's private residence. _

I was staring at the sky and just barely noting the odd colour of the sky. Thinking about what my best friend said to me troubled me. "You're losing it Mari, you made the discovery of your live. Don't be angry about it, but be proud! You found it; you'll get all the fame for it!"

Thinking about it I could not come to another conclusion then that my friend was right. All was not lost with losing the Prothean structure. _I'm going to get out of this place and fulfil my dreams. Maybe even go to the citadel to study the structure further_. _Let's call that Prothean specialist, what was her name again…_

My thoughts were suddenly disturbed by a loud sound. Looking outside I noticed that the sky has turned red, looking at my omni-tool I saw it was barely noon, _this couldn't be right_. That's when those strange beings showed up. _They look like those loki-mechs in those vids but at the same time not._ _Whatever they are, they sure don't look friendly with those big guns. I wonder what they are here for. _

Then it came to me. "Oh god! The dig site." _If_ _I go outside I'll be killed almost instantaneously._ "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!"_ My friends are getting killed and I can't do a thing about it. Maybe I can reach the 212__th__._ "Chief Williams, do you read? Please respond." Only to be rewarded with some static. I tried again a few minutes later. Still no response. _Damn, I'm screwed._

Suddenly the door opened, and a squad of 3 alliance marines came in. "Dr Acol?" asked the leading marine. "Yes" I stammered, "that's me." The lead marine took a step forward and shook my hand. "I'm commander Sheppard. We came to pick up the Prothean artefact. Before we could do that the Geth attacked." _Geth? "_Commander, you say those _things_ are Geth?"

I looked closer to the company and saw a familiar face. Gunnery Chief Williams was with the Commander. "Williams, thank god you're alive. I tried contacting you, but I only received static." The chief walked over to me and looked me in the eyes. "Dr Acol, we heard you on the radio, but we couldn't respond to your calls. You were very lucky you weren't at the dig site, everybody who was there is gone." _What? They are all gone? That can't be true_. "Nancy? Dr Edwards?" I asked fearing for their lives. "They are all gone." A grieving chief replied to me. "The Geth put the death on some kind of spikes and they were turned into monsters. They looked like humans but at the same time they were monsters."

_I wonder how that's even possible. Putting people on spikes and then they suddenly are monster? Shouldn't they be death?_ "How? Why?" I asked with a terrified look on my face. "That's for later concern, do you know where the artefact is?" the commander asked. "Well, we were in the progress of moving it to the spaceport for you, I think its there. Commander, please be careful. This artefact looked very promising. I think it contains a lot of information about the Proteans."

"We'll be careful Doctor, I need you to stay here. You should be save if you stay in your house. When the colony is clear again we will come to get you" the commander said to me noticing the terrified look on my face. "Stay away from the window and doors, you'll be alright!". _She doesn't understand. I just lost a lot of friends and I need to sit down and do nothing? _

"I'm sorry doctor, we need to get moving. I can't afford to lose more time on this. Please do as I told you and we'll be back for you!" the commander turned around and left the house with Chief Williams and the other marine following her.

"Commander, can I ask you something?" Sheppard looked towards the chief and nodded. "Are you sure it was the best thing to leave the Doctor alone in the state she was in? Who knows what she'll do to herself?" A thoughtful look appeared on the commander. "Chief, it sure isn't the best thing for the Doctor, but the mission comes first. I'm sure with the help of some counselling she'll be fine in time. But we couldn't afford to lose more time on this. Who knows what will happen if we wait any longer. The whole colony may be lost to those Geth and that squid-like thing." The chief nodded to the Commander and thought about what she said to her. _The commander was right. But still, it wasn't right to leave her there like that. _Her thoughts where roughly disturbed by the call of the commander "Move it people! We have more Geth near the spaceport!"

* * *

_five minutes after the commander left._

Growing tired of walking in circles in the room I sat against the wall and thought about all that happened today. _It's just unfair that I wasn't there, just because I thought they could handle it by themselves I left. Now they are dead and I'm not. I should have been there; I should have died among my friends._ '_Now you are being silly" _a little voice in my head spook to me, _eh, a little voice. I must me going mad!_ Slowly getting back on my feet and walking to the cabinet to get something strong, _I sure need a drink_. While pouring in a drink the voice spoke again _'don't be afraid, and above all don't be angry. You couldn't do a thing about it. Grieve but continue living. That's all your friends want'_. Slowly sipping at the drink my mind kept wandered away.

* * *

_Several hours later_

I was woken by a mild shaking of my body, slowly opening my eyes I saw that Williams was standing over me, trying to get me up. "Finally you're waking up" a visibly tired Williams spoke to me. I managed to get out some unintelligible grunt before finding my ability to speak again. "Williams?" The soldier looked at me and extended an arm. "Come doctor, the colony is save again. The Geth are gone" _Geth, what is she talking about_. Then I remembered, "The artefact?"

"The artefact is damaged Doctor, we are taking it with us to the citadel. You can come along for the ride if you like or do you want to stay on this colony?" I blinked my eyes whilst looking to the commander. _Did she just say the artefact was damaged? Can we repair it? I'll better go with here to prevent more damage to it! _"Commander, I'm going with you. I've nothing left, all my friends and colleagues are gone thanks to the Geth."

* * *

**A/N**

**I took some liberty with the beacon, I don't know what happened with it, in the game it was only mentioned as destroyed. But as I experienced it, it was heavily damaged with the circuitry blown but the basic structure primarily intact. That's why I took it along to the citadel. (Hence, also excuses giving our doctor a free ride to the Citadel). **

**Next chapter will give us some insights on how the attack on Eden Prime by our villain Saren was received back home. **


End file.
